Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-03-07

| W0eu al 1uuI8u Wuutb . AeAlA -
marks it out and by consent it becomes his
as long as be uses it or hires or rents it out.
| The cropper gives to the Indian small share
and thus the fortunate holder has an income.
The Indian is faithful in his part of the con.
tract, and if the tenant does right he meets
with little trouble, but the Indian has as yet
not forgotten the opinion of his father ex'
pres sed in the remark "white man mighty un'
certain" Some farmers, mostly from the
southern States, have succeeded in accumu-
lating some property, but cannot become the
owner of the land, as the Indian cannot sell
1t.
Red river, which divides this territory from
Texas, is we'll called such from the color OF the
banks, the earth and the water. 1t is some
what striking in its rudy appearance. The
soil looks like paint and seems to color the
water.
Once across into Texas you soon realize
YOU are again in the land of civilization.
Dennison, the ''gate city," has for yon now an
attraction and you are delighted with its beau.
tiful appearance, its buildings and air Of
business that presuppose surroundings of fer
tility and industry. and as you look on the
farm and herds for many miles out you are
not alarmed for the present or future of
this part of Texas. There is one thing, how
ever, noticeable, peculiarly southern, the age
of everything out in the country. There is
but little that has the appearance of youth.
We have heard of persons being born tired,
but here things seem born old. Houses.
fences, carts, people, clothing. horses. lands
orchards, all look as if descended from the
past. North eastern Texas has evidently the
resources of wealth. Cotton is one Of the
| staple products. 1t looks like-Texas.
| The drouth that has extended over large
parts of Texas and continued for a year or
| more has sown with the hand of desolation
| and reaped with the sickle of death. For at
least 500 miles of the ride through Western
Texas, it seems little else than desert waste.
There has been an effort to make believe that
cattle can aubsist here, but the number of
carcasses seen from the line of railroad is
evidence that this is fiction. This part of
Texas, and it looks to be the bigger part, is
evidently thrown in to get to Mexico on or to
have a southern route to California. For
this purpose it will answer. 1t may do for
| something else, but you must not insist on a
stranger approaching it. l took occasion to
ask an intelligent looking gentleman at Pecos
| what money was worth in that market. He
paused a moment to think and then asked an
explanation. Said he remembered once see-
ing some, and thought a lew people had some
az curiosity. but as to the value of it in bust
ness no such uses were established. Though
this remark was intended as a jest, it yet pre-
/ sents more truth than my readers will believe.
ready reply by all to question about the
country at any point was "the country is
much better back. In other words, the Texas
Pacific, that it might not waste good land, fol-
lowed swath of waste betting the State.
Though there is a great sameness in the
county over which you are passing, the new
ness of the pictures, and the fact that you
never intend coming this way again holds you
enchanted throughout the journey. There
are many things in detail that lend their aid
to interest. When once you strike the outly-
ing skirts of the cactus belt and remen-
Der what you have seen in the private
and public conservatives of the East you
feel like jumping from the train to pull that
nice specimen. But as your delight gives
way to surprise and this again we'll nigh to
disgust you begin to mediate and before you
are through you find that it would be nee
| essary to have a country several times as
large as all New England to grow all these
| cacti. Of these their varieties, size, use,
| etc. may speak in another letter. 1t may
| not be generally known, but the largest city
| in the world lies in the western part Of Texas.
inhabited by the genuine aboriginals, who
| live in earthen houses mostly under ground.
| The style OF architecture is much after that
| of the mound builders, though not so large
in their structures. yet manifestly in design
| adapted in the highest degree to the comfort
and necessities of so large a community
We passed through the midst of their city
| without being in the least molested. but
greatly interested, as it seemed that every
| street was full of inhabitants Mothers with
their cunning little ones stood around the
doors of their dwellings, all gleeful and antic
as if it delighted them to attract our attention,
and more than one passenger with an oppor-
tunity felt that he should disregard the law
against kidnapping. But the difficulty was to
find the kid napphg. OF course | mean the
prairie dogs. 1t seemed one continuous tour
for fifty miles and then broken only by loca.
ton less suited, when it would begin again
and continue indefinitely. They are a pest
The whole of western Texas on this line
looks like a newly made graveyard, with
mounds much like that after burying good
sized steer. These creatures are travelling
eastward perhaps at the rate of seven miles a
year. When they once meet the settlers and
the man with the pillow it remains to be seen
what will be their attitude. But their occu-
patton of this region will be uninterrupted
for generation or more yet, and for ought |
can see until Gabriers horn blows. No
doubt they ENJOY life and here is abundant
room. f ii. CAYLOR.